{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Principled Entrepreneur","title":"She Cold-Called Olive Garden. Here's What Happened.","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3345,"description":"What happens when a small-town Chamber of Commerce CEO cold-calls Olive Garden corporate? In Russellville, Arkansas, it sparked a $4.5 million development that's now attracting Academy Sports, national restaurant chains, and turning heads across the state.\n\n- How Megan Selman used retail \"leakage data\" to pitch national brands on Russellville\n- Why Arkansas jumped from #18 to #12 in best states for business\n- The \"gut instinct\" approach Eric Bowen uses to evaluate markets (and why it works)\n- How manufacturing job growth drives retail development (the domino effect)\n- Why Arkansas's 5.2% GDP growth leads the nation\n- The power of getting city leadership, developers, and utilities in the same room\n\nKey Insight: \"Success happens when you get outside your comfort zone. You can't scale if you're not willing to take risks.\" - Eric Bowen\n\ns:\n- Megan Selman is CEO of the Russellville Chamber of Commerce, driving economic development in Arkansas's River Valley region\n- Eric Bowen is founder of Bowen Kemp, Darden Restaurants' largest preferred developer in the country, building Olive Gardens, Longhorns, and more across multiple states\n\n- Russellville Chamber of Commerce\n- Bowen Kemp Construction\n\nTimestamps:\n00:00 - Introduction - Meet Megan Selman & Eric Bowen\n00:55 - Eric's Background: Real Estate to Construction\n02:30 - Starting in the 2008 Recession: \"Best Time to Learn\"\n03:00 - The Main Street Story: Why Not Near the Interstate?\n04:00 - Megan Cold-Calls Olive Garden Corporate\n05:00 - Eric's \"Wing It\" Approach to Site Selection\n08:15 - Learning Different Working Styles\n09:00 - Understanding Retail Leakage Data\n10:00 - The Academy Sports Decision\n11:15 - How the Olive Garden + Academy Deal Came Together\n12:15 - Darden Restaurants: 15 Brands Under One Roof\n13:00 - \"I'm Their Cowboy\" - Eric's Role with Darden\n16:10 - Arkansas's Business-Friendly Environment\n16:45 - Arkansas: #1 Most Moved-To State\n17:00 - From #18 to #12 in Best States for Business\n22:30 - Manufacturing...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/-bqDNbTKx1JyRFb-kskNW46t5cPBJjZMRKKGvrZoBYY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84ZDYw/MGIxNjVhNjkzODc3/YTEyZmEyMWE5Yjg1/MTdlYy5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}